Peanut Avocado Salad

Colorful Peanut Avocado Salad

My mom used to make the peanut salad(of course, without avocado) on Sundays and we munched on the salad as we watched the Sunday movies :-). This salad is also very common among roadside vendors in India, specially in crowded places. I usually cook at least one bean variety(kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black eyed bean, etc....) to make sure that everyone in the family gets the required protein servings. Since some of the beans needed to be soaked before cooking, peanuts come in handy when I don't get a chance to soak the beans. The ingredients added to the salad has rich, inviting color. This is an instant recipe and here it goes.....

Main ingredients

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serving size: 4


Ingredients

• Raw peanuts - 1 cup
• Cucumber - 1 no
• Carrot  - 1 no
• Onion - 1/4 of medium size onion(You can vary as per your tolerance level)
• Lemon - 1/2
• Avocado - 1 no
• Salt to taste 
• Coriander leaves - few
• Chat masala - 1/4 tsp(optional)

Chop all the vegetables

Preparation

Boiled peanuts

1. Pressure cook the peanuts on medium heat, with 1/4 tsp salt and 1 cup of water until you get 3 whistles.
2. While the the peanuts are being cooked, chop the carrots, cucumber and onion. I like the vegetables chopped rather than grated. But if you want to grate the carrots and cucumber you can do so.
3. Slice the avocado into 2 halves. Remove the seed and scoop the avocado with a spoon. 
4. Slice the avocado into bigger square chunks.
5. Once the peanut is cooked, add all the chopped vegetables and avocado to it.
6. Squeeze the lemon juice and mix everything.
7. Optionally sprinkle some chat masala over the salad.
8. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve the salad.

Note: You can add grated raw mango for added sour taste.

Mix the vegetables with peanuts

Nutritional facts

Boiled peanuts has high levels of protein, good monounsaturated fat and fiber. Since peanuts are very filling they can curb your hunger and help in weight loss. Boiling the peanuts helps trap more antioxidants. The vitamin B-complex in peanuts boosts the brain and elevates your mood. The rich omega-3-fatty acids in avocado provides a healthy heart, boosted brain and sharp eyesight. Cucumber gives you the instant energy compared to carbonated or caffeinated drink. Carrot is rich in beta-carotene that provides good eye sight and slows down cell aging thus keeps you looking young. Onion improves the immunity of the body. Lemon juice stimulates liver and aids in good functioning of the liver. For health benefits of coriander refer Herbs for Cooking and their Health Benefits.

Peanut Avocado Salad ready to be served

Enjoy the rich flavor and taste of the Peanut-Avocado salad with your family as a snack or as part of your lunch or dinner. Let me know your comments or suggestions on how you like the salad.......

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